Kobe Bryant All-Star Media Transcript

Submitted by tnowell on Mon, 2014-02-17 08:01

February 17, 2014 7:01 am PST

Prior to the 2014 All-Star Game, Kobe Bryant addressed the media to give another general update on where he’s at in his recovery and rehab process, his optimism on his future with the Lakers during the remaining years on his contract, plus his experience as a spectator this year during All-Star Weekend. Below is a transcription of his comments:

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Q: On the general update in his recovery/rehab process:
Bryant: It’s coming slowly, it’s coming slowly. I’m optimistic coming out of the break I’ll have some improvements once I get back to L.A., do a couple follow-ups and then go from there. But it’s been a slow process.

Q: On what he can do during this time and if he’s still hopeful to play this season:
Bryant: Just stick to the script, just try to get better and go from there. I just try to focus, keep my blinders on and do what I have to do; and not worry about too much what’s going on around you, but just stay focused on what your responsibilities are.

Q: On if he thinks he’ll be back playing in the All-Star Game during his remaining years in the league:
Bryant: I hope so, I hope so. When you’re playing in an All-Star Game, that means you’re one of the best players in the world. That’s obviously a big goal of mine to be there. But it’s tough coming here, though, because normally when you come here your competitive juices are already flowing. Now it’s kind of looking at it from a different perspective, but you also get a chance to soak it all in a little bit more, kind of sit back andwatch and observe, which has its own fun element to it.

Q: On the level of optimism he has the Lakers will get back to the NBA Finals during the final years on his contract:
Bryant: This season seems to kind of – what we have coming up this offseason with the cap space and what we have ahead of ourselves – be right in the Lakers wheelhouse, in terms of turning things around pretty quickly. When we’ve had summers like this, they’ve never really faltered. They’ve normally made really sound and excellent decisions that put us right back in contention. So I think this offseason is right in their wheelhouse.

Q: On overcoming injuries in his past and if there’s any concern at all with his two most recent injuries that his body may be giving out on him:
Bryant: Of course. Absolutely. That’s part of the excitement of the challenge – that level of uncertainty. Is this it sort of thing? Are my best days behind me sort of thing? To have those conversations with yourself and not be intimidated by that or not succumb to that is part of the challenge. It’s really the biggest challenge. It’s saying: ‘Well, maybe this is the end, but then again maybe it’s not.’ And it’s my responsibility to do all that I can to make sure that it’s not. That’s really become the biggest challenge.